Has anyone replaced the front brake pipe on a 90/110? It runs from the RH T-piece, behind the turret, through the wheel arch, along the chassis, acro ss the front of the engine bay, along the chassis, through the wheel arch, behind the turret, and onto the flexible to the LH calliper.
The new pipe is just a coil of pipe with the ends made off - are there any tips/tricks to feeding/bending the pipe, as it looks like a right sod!
You can get external bending springs for the smaller sizes of pipe. I'd try Frosts in the first instance (probably call them - their web site used to be rubbish. Modelmaking shops/sites are also a good bet (springs are often used for model steam train pipework). To use, lubricate with clean oil, and make the bend slightly more than you need, then bend back to the correct angle (this prevents the spring getting stuck). You have to plan the bends carefully in order to avoid the spring getting stuck (it doesn't go over existing bends well), and you need extra material for the bends nearest the pipe ends (probably - depends on the pipe run, obviously).
In my experience, the small gauge pipe benders (with two handles and a quadrant to bend the pipe round) are rubbish. I only had a Chinese copy of what I think was originally a Rothenburger design, and it was truly useless.
I've also heard that people use a long bit of softwood with a pipe-width hole in it near one end, held in a vice. This probably works, but the bend is hard to control and you risk crushing or kinking the pipe.
You almost certainly need a pipe flaring kit, as the length won't be spot-on. Frosts, Machine Mart, etc. sell these.
Take off the old pipe carefully and use it as a template as much as possible.
Unroll the pipe into a straight line indoors on carpet. First seal the ends with insulating tape (absolutely no c**p must get into the pipe).
Holding the coil vertically, trap the outer end on the floor (gently) with your foot, with the loose end pointing toward you and the coil furthest away; unroll the coil away from you, gently but quite firmly pushing the unrolling end down towards the floor as you unwind it. Keeping the unroll vertical stops the pipe getting twisted. If you do it well you get a really straight piece to work with.
You can't adjust bends very much, as it will work-harden. You *might* anneal it with a blowlamp if desperate, but it doesn't sound like fun!
I'd fit new clips at the same time. It's not worth the pain of trying to re-use them.
To be honest, the garage always did mine. They're used to it and have all the tooling. Ditto the power steering stuff. I changed the 110's fuel tank (TDi), and did the back section of fuel pipe at the same time, but that was relatively easy, and in copper.
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